Photo of the Day

May 21 - Rimini, Italy

Today's Photo of the Day is from the second Challenge Mondial Assistance Race from Cherbourg to Rimini for 60-foot trimarans.

Frank Cammas and crew sailed Groupama across the finish line in a driving rain, finishing the 2,734-mile course in 9 days and 15 hours for an average speed of 11.68 knots. Four other boats finished within the next eight hours, so the partying began.


Photo and Graphic Courtesy Challenge Mondial Assistance


Elite Keel Regatta

May 21 - San Francisco Bay

Seventy-two boats in seven one design classes enjoyed perfect sailing on the Berkeley Circle last weekend for San Francisco YC's Elite Keel Regatta.

Eclipse dominated the Express 37 fleet, Cavallino the Melges 24s and I Love My Wife the Etchells. La Paloma won the IOD class, Benino the Knarrs, Cool Breeze the J/24s, and Nordic Belle the Folkboats. You can view complete results at www.sfyc.org.

For a complete report, results and more photos, see Race Sheet in the June issue of Latitude 38.


The J/24 winners demonstrate a good set.


The Express 37 Golden Moon

Photos Latitude/Rob


This Melges driver sports a jaunty yellow helmet.


Etchells winner Craig Healy nailed this start.


Knarrs round the weather mark, where the Coast Guard searched for evidence in the Laci Peterson case.


Knarrs are known for being wet boats.


Pretty red Folkboat with a dirty bottom


The Fall Could Have Easily Killed Him

May 21 - Sausalito

While dining out last night, we bumped into Rann Phibbs, known to many people as the long-time store manager - until two months ago - of the West Marine in Sausalito and-long time crew on Pyewacket. Rann was smiling through some obvious pain, so we asked him what happened. It turns out that last week he was at the lower spreaders of a Swan 65 he is working on, when the guy running the halyard - from a nearby powerboat - didn't appreciate how slippery new line can be. The next thing Rann knew, he'd fallen about 30 feet onto the boom, then bounced onto the deck. The fact the mainsail was on the boom to cushion him very likely saved his life. As it was, he suffered two or three broken ribs and a broken collarbone. So if you see him, hold back on the tickling. And if you're going up the mast, or running the halyard for somebody going up the mast, be careful!


It's Dangerous on the Water, Too

May 21 - Atlantic Ocean

Ian Munslow, a 29-year-old sailor who has qualified for the Mini Transat, was run down early yesterday morning by a 90-foot French fishing trawler boat off the west Brittany coast while participating in the first leg of the Mini Pavois race from La Rochelle, France, to Portsmouth, England. It had been blowing like stink the night before, so when it lightened up the next morning, Munslow looked around, then went below to take off his dry suit. When he got it half off, he heard a sound like a car crash as the trawler came right into his boat. Fortunately, Mini Transat boats have to be unsinkable, because he was soon knee deep in water. Forty minutes later the French Coast Guard picked him up.


Yellowfin, Yellowtail - You Mean There's a Difference?

May 21 - Pacific Ocean

"I don't want to get nit-picky," writes David Dinah Moe Humm of Humboldt Bay, "but being a sailor and fisherman, I'd like to point out an error in the May 19 'Lectronic. It's no big deal, but the fish in the Photo of the Day is a Yellowfin, not a Yellowtail. There are Yellowtail, which is a member of the Mackerel family, and there are Yellowfin tuna, but there is no such thing as a Yellowtail tuna. Having said that, I've been an avid reader since your first issue. You have the best sailing rag I have ever read."


A giant specimen of the Yellowfin tuna species
Photo Courtesy Hana Pau

Thanks for the compliment - but even more, thanks for the correction.


Tropical Storm Andres

May 21 - Pacific Ocean

It's way south, it's moving west, and it's premature. Nonetheless, Andres, the first tropical storm of the Mexican season has come to life. The hurricane season doesn't officially start until June 1.

In the Atlantic, things have been more bizarre. Ana, their first Tropical Storm, came around in the third week of April, months before the official start of the season. The Atlantic hurricane season doesn't end until December 1, a month later than the Mexican hurricane season.


YOTREPS

May 21 - The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of weather are they having? The YOTREPS daily yacht tracking page has moved to www.bitwrangler.com/psn.


Weather Updates

May 21 - Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

To see what the winds are like on the Bay and just outside the Gate right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind.

The National Weather Service site for San Francisco Bay is at www.wrh.noaa.gov/Monterey.

California Coast Weather

Looking for current as well as recent wind and sea readings from 17 buoys and stations between Pt. Arena and the Mexican border? Here's the place - which has further links to weather buoys and stations all over the U.S.: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southwest.shtml.

Pacific Winds and Pressure

The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology page posts a daily map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.

Pacific Sea State

Check out the Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For views of sea states anywhere in the world, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data.


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